The popular Halloween Time begins Friday at the Disneyland Resort, which will get orange and black decorations, ride makeovers and special entertainment.

For the first time, Disneyland will transform the Festival Arena into a seasonal carnival with crafts, pumpkin carvers, music and games, including one in which guests toss rings onto witch hats. Since summer, the area has hosted the Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree.

The villains will be part of the Magic Cauldron Sideshow, in which a magician will cast a spell to make the characters appear, said John McClintock, a Disneyland Resort spokesman.

In past years, villains met with visitors near "It's a Small World."

Halloween Time, which started resort-wide in 2006, brings a big revenue boost to the two Anaheim parks during a previously slow period: In the first five years, the parks experienced a 40-percent increase in attendance.

Other Halloween features:

Pirates League: Visitors can pay to get pirate makeovers in New Orleans Square.

Frankenweenie: Disney California Adventure will host "The Art of Frankenweenie Exhibition" and an exclusive clip of the upcoming Tim Burton movie, which will be released Oct. 5.

Rides: Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain will be converted into Halloween themes, as usual.

Mickey's Halloween Party: On 11 nights, visitors can buy special tickets for trick-or-treat parties that begin after Disneyland has closed to the general public; the festivities will include a Halloween fireworks show. The first party is Sept. 28.

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